Alexandee t



ALEXANDER T. DE PUY, OF4 NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 62,826, dated March 12, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN STLa'LorYrn-PLATE HOLDERS.

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q Be it known that I, ALEXANDER T. DE PUY, of the city, and county, and Stato of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Stereotype-Plate Holders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same reference being had to the accompanying drawi-ng,'forming a part of this speciication, in Which-f Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my invention, fitted or locked up in a chase.

Figure 2, a transverse section of the same, taken in the line x w, fig. 1. l

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. i

At present the blocks onwhich stereotype plates are secured, while' being printed from, are necessarily made of various sizes to correspond to the diiferent-sized plates. This involves a great expense, as a'large number of blocks are required, for plates ostensibly of given sizes, such as quarto, octavo, duodeciino,^etc., etc., frequently vary in size sufficiently to require diifcrent blocks, and if a block larger than a plate be used, an unnecessarily wide margin is formed'whih involves a wasteof paper. This invention consists in having a block constructed of sections in such a manner that 'the sections may, with the greatest facility, be put together so as to form a block of any size, corresponding to the plate which is to besecured to it, and the block thus formed be capable of having Iany desired or proper number of clamps or fastenings applied to it for the purpose of securing the plate to the block. A represents a chase constructed in the usual manner, and B represents my improved bloclc, which consists of a, series ofsections, a b and c c', of quadrilateral forni, so as to produce, when adjusted together, a quadrangular block, the sections being secured together in close contact by side and foot strips, d, furnituref e,

and quoinsf. The sections a, it will be seen, extend the whole length of the block B-while tht sections 6` and 'c c are of square form, and are placed at the outer side of the sections a. The sections c are of metal,

and have screws, g, on them, which are allowed toturn freely, and have ratchet-wheels h on their outer ends for the convenience of turning them. Each screw g has a nut, z', on it, with alhook or lip, j, projecting upward, and the sections c are slotted to allow said nuts to be moved or adjusted a suitable distance bythe turning of the screws. This will be fully understood by referring to fig. 2. The sections e are at the opposite side ofthe block, in line with the sections c, andare divided to admit of metal pieces, c, being inserted centrally in them;l said pieces k having hooks Zon their outer ends. These metal pieces 7c may entirely divide the sections cl', as shown in -the drawings, or' they maybe made shorter, the sections c being slotted a requisite distance to receive the metal pieces 7c. The stereotype plate is inserted between -the hooks Z and the lips j, and is secured firmly on the block by turning the screws g, the hooks and lips rmly clamping it. It will be secn'from thc above description that the block B may be varied in size, supericially, to correspond with the area of the plate to' be secured up'on it, with the greatest facility, for sections may he provided of various sizes, 'and a greater or less number used, as occasion may require. It will also be seen that a greater or less numberof the sections c c may be used, according to the number of clamps required.; a large block of course requiring more'than a small one. Thus a block may be formed to suit any sized plate without any diculty whatever. The sections of which the block is formed are to be furnished of various sizes, and they may be conveniently arranged in proper receptacles so that the operator can, in adjusting the blocks expeditiously, pick out the ditte-rent sizes of sections as required. I

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Iietters Patent- 1. A block or holder for stereotype plates, constructed of sections, in the manner lsubstantially as herein shown and described. I 4 I 2. The combination of independent or detached clamps, with a sectional stereotype-plate holder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

The above specification ofmy invention signed by me this 9th day of August, 1866.

I ALEXANDER T. DE PUY.

Witnesses:

vWM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F.,Ronnnrs. 

